WRITING – Penn Literacy Course February 21, 2012 Why is Writing So Important?
Promotes critical thinking skills
Promotes learning through:
Connections to prior knowledge
Comprehension
Deeper understanding
Retention
Promotes vocabulary development
Promotes effective communication skills
Promotes effective assessment – a window to learning.
Multiple choice doesn’t improve learning. Writing is where they have to explain and this will increase learning. This will enable teacher to see what needs to reteach.
Writing provides the best way for formative assessment.
To become a better writer we need to write more and someone needs to help with effective feedback. Reread what you write and rewrite. What will Make a Difference?
Habit – Provide 8-12 opportunities every day for students to write. Length doesn’t matter. Copying notes doesn’t count.
Examples: Ticket Out the Door, Do Now, Take own notes from a lecture and then summarize notes.
Fluency – recognizing when meaning stops. Oral is much better then silent reading. Hearing it and reading it aloud is much better. Turn and read paragraph to a partner. Students more apt to hear what they did wrong to make connections. Students won’t correct what they don’t know is wrong. Great way to develop better fluency.
Whisper into a PVC pipe. Students think this is fun.
Author’s chair
Students need to develop this habit of reading aloud.
This is not having every student in your class stand up and read to class.
Quick time for sharing and reading to a partner, etc.
Authentic – Not everything they write needs to be an essay or paragraph. Sometimes maybe it’s a memo or legal brief or a character in a story. Journal as a scientist or historical figure. Build in varying formats for writing. RAFT writing – I’m a chemistry teacher. What are my different roles for RAFT?
Variety – Authentic writing will give variety. Engagement and motivation. Takes more time and effort as a teacher to do this but it’s worth it. Can’t always be doing summaries, etc. More variety the more it impacts habit and fluency. Are we getting students ready to write in the real world? Can students relay information.
Focused Practice – The more you grade the less students grow. Teachers don’t need to circle, cross out, improve transition. 2-5 areas in any paper should be graded or given feedback as opposed to everything. This is asking students to really pay attention to only 2-5 areas and that’s where you give your feedback. Your correcting it doesn’t improve their writing.
Writing is improved if students correct their writing.
The more focused the practice of the feedback the more likely the success.
Example: focus on transition and opening sentence, etc but don’t worry about students using which or witch.
Feedback – focused on the focus areas. A- is not good feedback, it’s a grade. The state rubrics are not great feedback either. This doesn’t tell students anything. Instructional feedback – this is what you did right and this is what you did wrong and this is what you need to do to improve it.
Why The Collins Writing Program?
Provides for lots of teacher choice, lots of practice, etc to make a difference.
Provides a structure consistent with the recommendations of the Writing Next Report
Consistent with NAEP’s recommendations regarding improving writing achievement:
Frequent, informal writing opportunities to think, explore, and observe
Frequent writing in all content areas
Opportunities to write in a variety of formats
Focused, consistent feedback – provide feedback to grow good writers
Contextual teaching of writing skills – grammar after grade 3 needs to be taught differently.
Common Core Standards:
Overview of Writing Strand for ELA
Expect students to compose arguments and opinions, informative/explanatory pieces, and narrative texts
Focus on the use of reason and evidence to substantiate an argument or claim
Emphasize ability to conduct research – short projects and sustained inquiry
Require students to incorporate technology as they create, refine, and collaborate on writing
Include student writing samples that illustrate the criteria required to meet the standards.
Overview of Language Strand
Stress the conventions for writing and speaking in context after grade six (grammar, mechanics, usage)
Highlight the importance of vocabulary acquisition through a mix of conversation, writing, direct instruction, and reading
To be addressed in the context of reading, writing, speaking and listening
Overview of Standards for History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
Write arguments on discipline-specific content and informative/explanatory texts
Use of data, evidence, and reason to support arguments and claims
Use of domain-specific vocabulary – use vocabulary in their writing. Kids need to use these words in context.
After Grade 3 vocabulary is a function of focusing on vocab as students read. Highlight words you don’t know as you read. Reread the word. Look for small word inside a bigger word, predict, guess, read sentence before and after.
Prefix, roots etc helps vocab. The earlier they learn this and more they are grouped in families the better. The more practice the better.
Ineffective – if not part of word family or just memorizing is not effective. Doing the 20 words a week is not an effective way for students to learn. If the words are not related to reading or work students are about to focus on then ineffective way to teach vocab.
John Collins was MS and then HS teacher in Mass. He was disgusted in lack of writing ability in students so put together a practice use of writing. Boston schools adopted this. Wonderful way of looking at writing. Changed a little based on research from learning. http://www.collinseducationassociates.com/cwp.htm
How Does Collins Do it?
Structure: Five Types of Writing
Type One: Capture Ideas – teacher just walks around and checks the work is done and then just give a stamp or sticker. Reward for taking the time to think by stamping. Every now and then you might have to check that certain student to make sure they are writing what you asked them to write. Ex: 5 lines, 3 minutes, etc.
Capturing Ideas. Gets ideas on paper – it’s brainstorming.
Timed and requires a minimum number of items or lines to be generated.
Questions and/or guesses are permitted
Assign by prompt
One draft
Outcomes are evaluated with a check or minus, A+ or 0 – it’s either they did it or they didn’t. All or nothing.
If I ask for 4 lines and you give me 3, it’s a 0.
Audience for Type One writing is for the student. They are getting their ideas down.
Builds critical thinking, engagement, and motivation
Type ones can be read aloud to partner. Helps build fluency. Great engagement.
Write Type Ones 6-8 times a day
Type ones should look like paragraph. Indent first line, etc.
Type Ones should stay in a notebook. They are for the students.
Prompt examples:
In eight lines or more, write the things you know, think you know or questions you have about
What do you think a looks like?
What you think about _,what are some of the things you wonder about?
Thank about and write down tow hard questions about _?
If you were going to solve _again, what would you do differently?
What are two ways you would go about solving this problem?
What might have caused the scene you see in this picture?
Predict what would happen if _.Explain why you think so.
What relationship does _have with events or your daily life at home or school?
What do you think someone in this situation (in a story, news event, and so on) would be thinking? Worried about? What do you think the other person in this situation would be thinking?
Type Two: Writing to Learn (formative assessment)
Type Two writing shows that the writer knows something about a topic or has thought about the topic. It is a correct answer to a specific question.
Constructed response item – open-ended
One draft
Graded as a quiz: 4/3/2/1
It offers the most important formative assessment: generates an answer
If teach today, quiz tomorrow.
4-6 Type Twos a day
Written quiz
Open ended constructed response
Matches types of things students will be expected to do on PSSA
Should do this because nothing improves learning more than Type Twos
Examples:
Explain 4 outcomes of the Battle Of
What are 3 character traits of _ that would explain...
What is the correct order of operations to solve __
Ask for a specific number of things in the explanation
Time the writing.
Should be short, quick, tell me what you know.
Want students to reread and revise their answer
Before they hand it in, have them highlight their most important part of their essay. This will let you know they have reread it. Gives them the opportunity to revise it. Then when teacher gets it to grade it, it is already graded. Helps to assign a grade quickly. Use 4, 3, 2, or 1. You got all of it, most of it, some of it or not much. Don’t put anything on it except for the number grade. When students get the quiz back have them revise it. Give them the 5 acceptable answers on the board and have students fix their quiz themselves. Becomes another piece of learning. If teacher corrects it, it is not a learning opportunity.
By themselves they don’t improve writing, not the quality of it. This is a learning tool.
Great way to provide learning community where students are thinking and using the language.
No feedback so teachers don’t have to feel incompetent with giving writing feedback.
Type Three: Focused Practice
Type Three writing has substantive content and meets up to three specific standards called Focus Correction Areas (FCAs). Revision and editing are required. FCAs are the things that you teach and that you are focusing on and that you will be giving feedback to. Content should always be focus area. One area should always focus on improving the writing. The third correction area is a wild card. These must be very specific.
Examples of focus areas: content – one explained reason backed up with examples from the text. Avoids run-ons and segment phrases, etc.
Before writing you are teaching this. Write some together and then we are going to write some together and they you write it and I give you feedback.
The more specific the better.
The more narrow in focus, the better.
Give immediate feedback when possible.
After 2-3 days any feedback is meaningless.
One draft (saved)
Self-revised
Graded for three focus correction areas
Might be a paragraph or 5 page paper. Could be take home or class work. Do Now or Ticket Out the Door or a three day project.
It’s the format that is important.
Read out loud and reviewed to see if the draft completes the assignment, is easy to read, and meets standards set for the focus correction areas.
Most authentic academic writing kids will do. This is the PSSA writing prompt. This is the college final exam prompt.
You have one shot to get this done.
Provides the greatest opportunity for growth.
This is pure academic writing.
Choose three things that you will be looking for so length doesn’t matter.
If not a test, they could do a read aloud.
Highlight areas of focus before you turn it in. Ex: Highlight subject and verb in every sentence, etc or whatever they were supposed to focus on.
Focus areas 12-18 things a year and no more. Most English curriculum have about 40 things a year that they want to focus on and you can’t do that.
Type Four: Finished Product
Type Four writing is a Type Three writing that is read aloud by someone else.
Two drafts (saved)
Writing is critiqued by a peer and revised by the author.
College readiness for finished product
Like a Type Three, it has substantive content and meets up to three specific standards called FCAs
These take time with peer revision
If you take the time to do peer revision research says do it like this:
One paper, two sets of eyes. Can’t exchange papers.
Physical nature is important. Must be shoulder to shoulder looking at paper at the same time the same way.
Partner reads the paper to the writer.
Honor the paper – you read the whole paper at once
After this the two of them go through the paper and brainstorm how to make it better. When reading through it have partner check mark areas that could be better as far as the focus areas are concerned then go back through those areas.
Teacher not involved in this process.
Teacher grades this paper.
If a pair works well together, keep them together. The more comfortable they feel together the better they will do.
Save types 3 and 4 in a writing folder. This provides a means for students to see their growth.
All Type Fours are recommended to be done at a word processor and it should be started on a computer.
*** 4-6 a marking period
Type Five: Publishable Work
Type Five writing is error free and of publishable quality
Multiple drafts
Authentic opportunity for publication
Provides the least opportunity for writing growth
Two grades for a 5 – A+ or 0. It’s either perfect or it’s not.
Why hold kids to a level of perfection? Sometimes they need to be.
The best use of a 5 is that it is authentic. Maybe it’s cover letter for a resume or a letter home to mom or dad thanking them for their support. College entrance essay. Letter to principal suggesting changes to school or letter to newspaper about local issue or a letter to an 8th grader telling them what to expect.
This should be something important.
Can’t correct it for them. Students need to do revisions. Teacher gives suggestions for areas of improvements but can’t make the corrections.
Type 5’s are better if they are shorter because it’s easier to get perfect when it’s shorter.
3s make the best writer, then Type 4s, and then Type 5s.
How do we really find the time to build this into our writing?
Conferencing is the best way to improve writing
The problem is the time
Document Review –
A vehicle to help students talk about their writing – both product and process
Combines reading, writing, and talking
Helps to determine, instruct, and evaluate FCAs
Helps to structure and fuel the revision process – peer and group
Helps to structure and inform conferencing.
Ask a student if you can use their paper as an example for the class. Always ask for permission. Read it to class. Ask class what the student does well in this particular writing piece. This is celebrating the writing and the writer. Continue talking about what a great paper this is and star the areas that are good. Give advice for fixing. Teacher is conferencing with student and teaching class how to peer revision all at the same time.
The purpose it so find out what a child knows to do, what would you say to this child in a conference. What instruction is needed? Students can then self-edit their own papers or jump into their peer editing.
Procedure
Read text aloud and display it on overhead/computer screen
Participants give first positive impressions: What stands out about this text? What can we praise?
Chairperson/teacher restates or summarizes positive impressions.
Participants comment on work: fluency, content, focus corrections areas (teacher may add or delete or further focus discussion and comments).
Chairperson/teacher comments on above issues, patterns, themes generated so far.
Group discusses instructional goals for this student and chairperson/teacher concludes.
Student writer comments on process and results. What went well? What needs to be done?
February 21, 2012
Why is Writing So Important?
- Promotes critical thinking skills
- Promotes learning through:
- Connections to prior knowledge
- Comprehension
- Deeper understanding
- Retention
- Promotes vocabulary development
- Promotes effective communication skills
- Promotes effective assessment – a window to learning.
Multiple choice doesn’t improve learning. Writing is where they have to explain and this will increase learning. This will enable teacher to see what needs to reteach.Writing provides the best way for formative assessment.
To become a better writer we need to write more and someone needs to help with effective feedback. Reread what you write and rewrite.
What will Make a Difference?
- Habit – Provide 8-12 opportunities every day for students to write. Length doesn’t matter. Copying notes doesn’t count.
- Examples: Ticket Out the Door, Do Now, Take own notes from a lecture and then summarize notes.
- Fluency – recognizing when meaning stops. Oral is much better then silent reading. Hearing it and reading it aloud is much better. Turn and read paragraph to a partner. Students more apt to hear what they did wrong to make connections. Students won’t correct what they don’t know is wrong. Great way to develop better fluency.
- Whisper into a PVC pipe. Students think this is fun.
- Author’s chair
- Students need to develop this habit of reading aloud.
- This is not having every student in your class stand up and read to class.
- Quick time for sharing and reading to a partner, etc.
- Authentic – Not everything they write needs to be an essay or paragraph. Sometimes maybe it’s a memo or legal brief or a character in a story. Journal as a scientist or historical figure. Build in varying formats for writing. RAFT writing – I’m a chemistry teacher. What are my different roles for RAFT?
- Variety – Authentic writing will give variety. Engagement and motivation. Takes more time and effort as a teacher to do this but it’s worth it. Can’t always be doing summaries, etc. More variety the more it impacts habit and fluency. Are we getting students ready to write in the real world? Can students relay information.
- Focused Practice – The more you grade the less students grow. Teachers don’t need to circle, cross out, improve transition. 2-5 areas in any paper should be graded or given feedback as opposed to everything. This is asking students to really pay attention to only 2-5 areas and that’s where you give your feedback. Your correcting it doesn’t improve their writing.
- Writing is improved if students correct their writing.
- The more focused the practice of the feedback the more likely the success.
- Example: focus on transition and opening sentence, etc but don’t worry about students using which or witch.
- Feedback – focused on the focus areas. A- is not good feedback, it’s a grade. The state rubrics are not great feedback either. This doesn’t tell students anything. Instructional feedback – this is what you did right and this is what you did wrong and this is what you need to do to improve it.
Why The Collins Writing Program?- Provides for lots of teacher choice, lots of practice, etc to make a difference.
- Provides a structure consistent with the recommendations of the Writing Next Report
- Consistent with NAEP’s recommendations regarding improving writing achievement:
- Frequent, informal writing opportunities to think, explore, and observe
- Frequent writing in all content areas
- Opportunities to write in a variety of formats
- Focused, consistent feedback – provide feedback to grow good writers
- Contextual teaching of writing skills – grammar after grade 3 needs to be taught differently.
Common Core Standards:- Overview of Writing Strand for ELA
- Expect students to compose arguments and opinions, informative/explanatory pieces, and narrative texts
- Focus on the use of reason and evidence to substantiate an argument or claim
- Emphasize ability to conduct research – short projects and sustained inquiry
- Require students to incorporate technology as they create, refine, and collaborate on writing
- Include student writing samples that illustrate the criteria required to meet the standards.
- Overview of Language Strand
- Stress the conventions for writing and speaking in context after grade six (grammar, mechanics, usage)
- Highlight the importance of vocabulary acquisition through a mix of conversation, writing, direct instruction, and reading
- To be addressed in the context of reading, writing, speaking and listening
- Overview of Standards for History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
- Write arguments on discipline-specific content and informative/explanatory texts
- Use of data, evidence, and reason to support arguments and claims
- Use of domain-specific vocabulary – use vocabulary in their writing. Kids need to use these words in context.
After Grade 3 vocabulary is a function of focusing on vocab as students read. Highlight words you don’t know as you read. Reread the word. Look for small word inside a bigger word, predict, guess, read sentence before and after.Prefix, roots etc helps vocab. The earlier they learn this and more they are grouped in families the better. The more practice the better.
Ineffective – if not part of word family or just memorizing is not effective. Doing the 20 words a week is not an effective way for students to learn. If the words are not related to reading or work students are about to focus on then ineffective way to teach vocab.
John Collins was MS and then HS teacher in Mass. He was disgusted in lack of writing ability in students so put together a practice use of writing. Boston schools adopted this. Wonderful way of looking at writing. Changed a little based on research from learning. http://www.collinseducationassociates.com/cwp.htm
How Does Collins Do it?
How do we really find the time to build this into our writing?
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